Embrace the Gift
by The Mirrors Reflection
Summary: A young girl yearns to escape her life on the Earth that we all know, so she decides to leave. The thing is, she finds herself smack-dab in the middle of the one place she never thought she'd see and surrounded by people she never knew existed.


Disclaimer: I own nothing except the original characters, which, I think; you all will be able to spot. Everything else belongs to Tolkien! :o)  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
  
  
Her soft footsteps could be heard as she made her way up the stone steps. Long ago had she abandoned her familiar hiking boots and adopted the soft slipper the elf maidens wore, if they wore any shoe at all. Her lightweight gown trailed behind her and curved with the steps. She entered the garden, and, handing him a cup of tea, sat down next to her familiar old friend.  
  
" Why are you out here all by yourself?" she asked. He glanced at her above the rim of his cup as he took a sip of his tea.  
  
" Thinking. " he answered simply.  
  
She grinned. " What about what? "  
  
" Nothing really. Just remembering." He continued to look out over the garden.  
  
The smile faded from her face. " Good memories, or bad? "  
  
He turned and smiled at her, taking her hand. " Good. Though they make me sad to think of them. "  
  
She sighed. " I know exactly what you mean. I, too, often think back to my yesterdays and become sad. Though I'm sure my memories are nothing compared to yours. " Her eyes fell to her lap.  
  
" You know, memories are wonderful and hateful things. "  
  
" Yes...I know." And he took another sip of his tea.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Many years before...  
  
  
  
A cloud of sadness had descended upon her. She felt caught in the fog of it, and was blind because of it. She stood in front of her bedroom window, golden sunlight of the sunset consuming her, yet she couldn't feel the warmth.  
  
She watched the trees sway back and forth in the wind. She wished she could get caught in the wind also, and be carried away, unlike the lonely trees outside who were doomed only to bend and strain against the wind until one day they were broken.  
  
She heard hard and clumsy footfalls on the stairs below. " Where are you girl? Get down here and clean up this mess of papers-now! " Yelled a harsh, hoarse, drunken voice.  
  
" Yes sir. " she said mechanically. Numbly, she turned from her window and made her way down the stairs. She walked past the den where her uncle was now sitting in the recliner, feet propped up, with a hand clasping an empty beer bottle hanging over the armrest. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he had passed out. She made her feet fall as softly as they could, which wasn't really all that quiet. Soometimes she tried to be silent as a mouse, but often failed when around her uncle because of the nervousness she felt as an effect of the fear of being seen by those half open, unfocused eyes.  
  
She went into the kitchen and lifted her 'mess' of papers (a sketching pad) and her drawing pencils off the table. As quietly as she could, she made her way back towards the stairs that would lead her away from this tense atmosphere and into the silent comfort of her room. She paused right before going past the entrance to the den.  
  
It was growing dark outside now and the lamps her uncle had turned on were casting dim yellow light on everything, along with distorted shadows. She looked around. Yes, it was still the same house. Her feet were standing on the same cold, green tiled floor of the same small entrance hallway that she and her sister had once, after coming in from the front door, with its stained glass window, on a hot summers day threw themselves on the floor and laid on their stomachs, trying to cool off. The same family pictures hung around the tall rectangular windows on either side of the door. She stood a moment taking the memories in. If she closed her eyes, and thought hard, she could smell dinner coming from the opening to the kitchen behind her, where her mother once cooked. She could hear her father entertaining her sister in front of the fireplace in the den, playing his guitar, while sitting on the clean white carpet. She would join them, of course, after running down the stairs from giving her room a last minute cleaning (throwing dirty clothes under the bed). Then they would all eat dinner. Things weren't always that calm and wonderful, and like any family there were fights and arguments that took place, and hard, sad times, but always, there was that presence of deep love in the house. But now the only sign of that love was forever trapped in the dusty pictures.  
  
The sound of plates clattering as they were laid upon the dinner table faded as she came back to reality; the reality where her parents and her sister were no longer there and her uncle was now her guardian. Back to the reality where she no longer heard the guitar, and the fireplace was never lit, and no sweet smell ever came from the kitchen. Back to the reality where her family had died when their plane had crashed on their way to pick her up from camp, and back to the reality where she would forever feel responsible for their deaths.  
  
She suddenly felt a sweaty hand squeeze her arm and pull her forward and into the dens' entrance.  
  
" You see that? You see that? Clean it up, now! " The stench of alcohol almost choked her as her uncle screamed in her ear. She looked beside the recliner he had been sitting in and saw the spilt beer, and the vomit in the floor. She whimper slightly as his grip got tighter, cutting of the circulation to her hand and wrist.  
  
" What's that? You gonna cry now? Is the poor little weakling gonna cry? " He teased. " Suck it in! " He yelled in her ear once more.  
  
" You're hurting me! " she screamed back, surprising both her uncle and herself.  
  
" Don't raise your voice at me! " he said, punching her shoulder. She winced, but did not cry out.  
  
" You should show me more respect after all I've done! Remember, I'm the one that feeds you now! " He yelled still.  
  
" I didn't make that choice! " She struggled to get away.  
  
" Now you're trying to run away! Trying to escape punishment for your bad behavior, are you?" he said, throwing his arm out, causing her to loose her balance and fall to the floor. Fear overpowered her numbness and sadness as she saw him take his belt off, ready to whip her. She did the only thing she could. She ran for it.  
  
Up the first six stairs she went, and then curved to the left, going up the rest. She could her uncle's footfalls behind her and his screams full of rage. She ran through the hallway to her bedroom, and locked the door. He was coming.  
  
She grabbed the bag that she had already packed full of things she thought she would need if the time ever came that she decided to run away. She ran about the room and threw anything else that she could find that meant anything to her or would be of some use into the bag. She then threw open her window, and climbed out. He was beating on the door now. She jumped off the windowsill and onto the roof, catching the edge as she fell forward and landed on her stomach, and steadied herself. Then she grabbed hold of the pipe and let her feet fall off the edge.  
  
She hung there, swinging, until she grabbed the pipe with her feet and slid down, landing the wrong way and falling backwards. Her uncle's beatings were still clear through the open window, and they were getting harder. Thoroughly annoyed at falling so much, she ran off into the woods, never looking back.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
She ran for what seemed like forever, flashlight in front of her, its beams darting here and there, until she collapsed to the ground, breathing in gasps.  
  
" Dear Lord, help me." She whispered. When she had caught her breath, she rose up and leaned against a tree. Her shoulder hurt from where her uncle had hit her. She massaged it with her fingers. She was dimly aware now of the scratches along the sides of her face from stray branches that whipped her as she had run. The marks on her hands were from pulling at briars, and pushing the branches out of her face. She was examining these when her vision was blurred from the growing tears in her eyes. She was slightly startled, for she hadn't cried for a long while now, and she let the silent tears fall freely. What was she going to do? What was the point of running away? She had no place to go, no family, and at the moment she was in the middle of nowhere with no shelter and no food. But that feeling was about to be washed away with the tides of hope, for through the trees she saw a light, and could smell food.  
  
Immediately she got up, and, grabbing her bag, ran towards the light, slowing, as she got closer to a cautious trot, darting behind trees and staying low.  
  
The light and smell were coming from a small, rustic cabin. What a cabin was doing all the way out there the girl didn't know. She had run far and deep into the woods, into the dense wilderness which surrounded her and the house. She hid behind a tree, and peered around it as an old man with white hair and a white beard came out of the cabin to toss some scraps out for the two dogs that suddenly came running up to him. He laughed merrily and patted them both on the head, then, to the girls sudden surprise (and by now she was tired of being startled) the man looked straight at her, but to her relief he walked back into the house and shut the door.  
  
Feeling like she had walked into the early 1800s, she made her way to the front door, and knocked timidly three times. The old man answered it with a smile.  
  
" Meat, bread, potatoes and clean water await you on my table. " he said. She gave him a curious look.  
  
" I saw you out there, and had a feeling you would come to my door. After all, the wilderness is no place for a young lady such as you. " He said, holding the door open for her.  
  
" Thank you..." she said, stunned. She walked through the door; still staring at the old mans smiling face.  
  
" Here, I'll take that. " he said, taking her bag. " You may be wanting to sleep here tonight. Coyotes are out, and I would feel responsible if one was to harm you. I will set your things beside your bed. " She nodded. He opened a door and she saw that it led to a small room with only a single wooden bed covered with a white quilt. When he walked out she noticed that his old jeans were worn and dirty, though his white shirt was clean, and he wasn't wearing any shoes.  
  
" Come here, my dear, and sit down and rest your legs and eat. " he said, walking over to the table and sitting down in his own chair. She sat down opposite if him.  
  
" Thank you sir, for doing all of this for me. Are you sure I'm not imposing? " She asked.  
  
He smiled a warm smile, which traveled to his green eyes." Of course you're not imposing! It's nice to have a little company other than my two fuzzy bodied friends outside. " He said.  
  
She picked up her fork, and hesitated. " Why are you being so nice to me? " she asked. She had never had a stranger welcome her into their home with out her asking before. But then again, neither had she had the need.  
  
He chewed his pork-chop thoughtfully. " Well, " he said, swallowing. " the way I see it, is that everyone has moments in his or her lives when they feel lost and confused and frightened. That's the way I figured you felt out there, crouching behind that tree. I don't like people to feel that way, and if I can do anything about it I'm going to. And, well, I've put my best foot forward and I'm hoping that when you leave here you won't feel so lost and frightened and confused. "  
  
His kindness warmed her heart. She was also feeling more confused than ever. It had been a long time since anyone had been kind to her without expecting anything out of it except the simple contentment of knowing that they had made someone a bit happier.  
  
" Thank you so much! " she said.  
  
" You're welcome. Now eat! " He told her, and she did.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
After she had watched him wash the dishes, (she had begged him to let her do them, but he refused) they sat in front of the fire and talked. She told him of her parents, her sister, her uncle, and many other things, and he listened and took everything to heart.  
  
" I see you have had a rough time. A child shouldn't have to go through that. I am deeply sorry. "  
  
" Don't be sorry for me. You kindness to me tonight has shown me that there is light in the world, and not all darkness. The only sad thing is that I have to go so far into the forest to find it. " She said sadly.  
  
He narrowed his eyebrows in thought, and looked at her. " What do you mean, you would have to go so deep into the woods to find it? " he asked.  
  
She looked into the fire. " I have no desire to live in the world. All that I have ever known other than my family, and now you, has been...well...less than perfect. I mean, I thought I knew so many people. My friends and all, but now...I find that all they want, it seems, is it to hurt other people. They say they don't want people to treat them certain ways, yet they go and treat them the same way. How do they expect to be treated nicely, if they don't take the initiative and be nice to other people first? I find that the more I get to know people, the more bad things I find in them. The eagerness to get revenge for simple, harmless things that probably weren't meant to be harmful in the first place is an example. I don't understand that. "  
  
The old man looked long at her. " I can tell that you are special. You hold wisdom and understanding of the way things work that is ahead of your time, though you may not have learned how to use it yet. You are good at heart, and want to spread that goodness yet you find that extremely hard to do because whenever you try to get close to anyone you get hurt. And that isn't right. You were once a happy child, who liked to play make-believe and to have fun whenever you could. But you have had so much happen to you that now, I see, you have been veiled in sadness, a sadness that runs deep in you. You have been forced to grow up too fast, and to take care of yourself when your parents should be doing so. But I promise this: it will not always be so. One day, people who love and care for you shall surround you once more. After all, no matter how bad things get, they always get better. "  
  
She was surprised, impressed, and respectful of this sudden burst of wisdom the man showed her. She smiled and looked back into the fire.  
  
" What is your name? " she asked him.  
  
He smiled-she had never seen someone smile so much. " You may call me Isaac. " he said. " Now, may I ask your name? "  
  
" My name is Kendal Bowens. " she said.  
  
They sat together for a while, and then the girl, which we now know as Kendal Bowens, told the old man, that we now know as Isaac, that she was retiring for the night. And she climbed into her warm bed and fell into a fearless sleep such as she had not known for a while.  
  
***  
  
  
  
Isaac sat upon his own bed and thought. He had said that he would do anything to help someone in need, and this girl, he could tell, was in great need. He had also promised that things would get better. 'How was that so?' he thought. 'Surely once she leaves here anyone who finds her will want to take her back to her uncle? And what then? It's either her uncle or foster parents for her. And there's something different about her. She may not know it yet, but she is too good for this cruel world. I'm not letting that go to waste. She isn't going to stay here anymore. I'm giving her a chance to leave.'  
  
And with that, he took a small box from the corner, opened it, and lifted a smaller box from that one, and after he had opened that one he lifted from it a silver chain, and dangling from that silver chain was a white gem-not small, yet not large.  
  
" This shall be given to her. " he said. And so in the morning, after she had woken up, much to her surprise (again) he handed her the necklace. She refused to take it, but the look she saw in his eyes as he continued to insist that she take it persuaded her to do so. She put it around her neck and stared at the beautiful stone that she now owned.  
  
" But why? " she asked, for she could see no reason why this should be given to her.  
  
He fixed his gaze on her and looked her in the eye. " I told you that things would get better, and I also told you that I knew that were wise beyond your years, but I can also see that you know nothing of this wisdom. Maybe, with the help of this necklace, you may learn of it. After you leave here, if you shall run into any danger, just clasp the stone in your hand and think of somewhere that you would rather be. I promise, all will be better. "  
  
" Thank you. Good-bye Isaac. I will come back here one day, to visit you again. " She said, as she gathered her things and prepared to walk out the door.  
  
" You are most welcome. I will be looking forward to your future visit, " he said, and with that, she smiled, and walked out the door.  
  
She had been walking through the woods for at least three hours now, and stopped by a stream and drank a little during her annual rest that she took almost every thirty minutes. After all, she was in no hurry. She leaned her back against a tree and took a deep breath of the cool air. And cool it was, for winter was coming and she was glad that she had been wearing a sweater the night she ran away or she would be freezing at the moment. She looked around at her surroundings and relaxed in the isolated scene. That is, until she heard the voices. She jumped and stood up, alert. She could now hear footsteps stomping through the fallen leaves around her, and could hear voices calling her name. Her heart fell and the little bit of sadness that had worn off her at Isaac's cabin now came back and hit her with full speed. Her attempt to leave the rest of the world had failed and they were going to take her back now. Back where there were guns, cars, alcohol, and evil. She stood numb again as one of the men who had been calling for her appeared across the stream. She could tell he was a policeman, and a stern look crossed his face as he saw her. He called to the others that he had found her. Everything she saw was blurring together. She couldn't go back. She just couldn't. And she ran. Ran for dear life from the voices, but she halted when she saw that the few men who were looking for her were closing in on her. All hope was lost. Or was it?  
  
Her hand reached for the stone around her neck, and she wrapped her hand around it hard until it was cutting into her palm. She closed her eyes and thought of the one place she would rather be. The voices grew dimmer, and dimmer, until they could be heard no more. She opened her eyes. She was standing in the middle of a wheat field. She could see forest in the distance, but for miles in every direction she could see nothing but fields of wheat and corn. And as she looked around in awe, Isaac, who had followed her into the forest and saw her vanish, smiled and laughed to himself.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
If she wasn't lost before, she was now. There just wasn't any possible way that she could've been sent to the place that she had wanted to go. There just wasn't any way. But where were the men? And where did the forest and stream go?  
  
She sat down wearily and pondered on this for a few minutes. She then decided that she would just go across the fields and see where she ended up. She had nothing else she could do, after all.  
  
She took in her surroundings as she walked. She had never seen any place like this. The very air seemed to be unspoiled by time and wear. She had never seen trees so green or healthy, or skies so blue. Wherever she was, she didn't want to leave anytime soon.  
  
She reached the edge of the field and went into the woods, though she found that it was only a small line of clustered trees, like a boundary. And so she found it easy to walk through them. And then, to her utter, and complete disbelief, she found herself looking at the one place she was sure that she hadn't found, or could find for that matter-but she had. She had found Hobbiton.  
  
The sunlight danced on her face, and the wind played with her hair as she shielded her eyes with her hand and looked in wonder upon the busy little village. She knew that she mustn't go near it, for were to see her in her futuristic clothes, and with her height, they would surely make a fuss over it. But the excitement she felt! if they Never in her wildest dreams did she think that she would ever behold the sight of Hobbiton, in the Shire, with her own eyes.  
  
She decided to stay hidden in the line of dense trees, the field's border. And stay she did, for a few days, munching on candy she had found in her bag and exploring the land (which had led her to a nearby creek) careful, though, to stay hidden as best she could.  
  
She awoke three days later and ran across the field, as fast as her legs would carry her, so as to wake herself up quickly. When she had ran out of breath she collapsed and lay down on her back, staring up at the fluffy white clouds that dotted the clear, blue sky above her. She suddenly felt sad and lonely again. How was she going to survive in this new place? Her few candy bars and skittles wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later she would have to go into the village to buy some food, and hope that she wasn't immediately shunned from the place as some freak, for she was very aware that her clothing and her speech looked and sounded like nothing anyone had ever heard of in this land. She stared back up at the sky, avoiding thinking of this. The wheat swayed and rustled peacefully in the wind. The sunlight covered her once again, and this time she felt its warmth, and, using the warmth as a blanket, she fell asleep.  
  
***  
  
  
  
The hotness of the sun shining directly on her woke her up, and she sat up, wondering what she could do to pass the time. She looked around vainly, for the only thing to do was wonder around. After sitting in exasperation for a few moments she decided she would wonder around anyway and try to find a hobbit hole. Even though she knew she needed to stay put and unseen, she desperately wanted to catch a glimpse of a genuine hobbit home.  
  
The weather here was quite different than it had been in her world. It felt like June to her, and everything was warm and bright. She had abandoned her sweater and put on a t-shirt that she had stored in her bag. She walked to the right of the village and gradually made her way around it. She followed the road leading from the village while hiding in the forest that the road cut through. She walked for some ways before she finally caught her first glimpse of the hobbit holes.  
  
There were many of them past the forest's edge, all of them small and quaint. She was delighted to see little hobbits going about and doing their work. She giggled softly at the sight of them-they were so small. Then she raised her eyes, and in the distance, past the little holes, was what she was sure to be Bag-End, because it was a good deal bigger than the closer hobbit holes. She wanted to get a closer look at it also, and maybe grab a few tomatoes from the garden. She had never thought of stealing before, but if she didn't get some food other than the few Skittles that she had left, she would starve. She went around the little holes and made her way to Bag End.  
  
It was gorgeous place. Many flowers of every kind were surrounding it in various places, especially under the round windows. Then she spotted the vegetable garden. It was full of carrots, potatoes, cabbages, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Her mouth watered at the sight of them. Everything was quiet and she couldn't see anyone around. Making sure that no one was in the windows looking out, she crept quickly to the garden and pulled a tomato from the vine.  
  
Suddenly, she heard the corn stalks behind her moving. Someone was trying to sneak up on her. For a moment she sat there, holding the tomato, trying to figure out what to do. She then rolled over to her right, and began to stand up and make a run for it, but the process was interrupted when something struck her head-and hard. She fell to the ground, tried once to rise up, but her senses left her and she was then unconscious, the last thing she heard being a small gasp of surprise.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
" What have you done Sam, you fumbling fool?! Look at her! She hasn't shown any sign of waking up. I can't believe you hit her with one of your pans! "  
  
" I do apologize sir, I didn't notice that it was a lady. I just saw someone in your garden attempting to steal your vegetables. I figured it was that person everyone's been talking about. You know? The one who's been raiding everyone's gardens here lately? "  
  
" Yes, I know. Why did you hit her in the first place? Why! It could've been Merry or Pippin! "  
  
" Well, I didn't mean to hit her, really. I was just going to raise it up and then tell whoever it was they had better get out of the garden or they would have to deal with me. But I stumbled over a rock, and well, you know the rest. "  
  
Someone sighed. " Sam, you can be such a clumsy ox sometimes! Let's just hope she forgives you, if she ever awakes. "  
  
" She's one of the big people too. How to you reckon she ended up in Hobbiton? She's only a child. And I'm sure she was by herself. If someone was with her, I didn't see them. "  
  
" I don't know Sam. But it's clear to see that she has traveled far. Look at the scratches on her face and hands. Her hair is covered with dirt and grass, and so is the rest of her. And now, thanks to you, she has a nasty bump on her head. Luckily, you didn't crush her glasses. Strange looking things aren't they? I've never seen any glasses that look like that. These have some kind of soft substance on them. Looks as though it was put there so it wouldn't scratch her ears… "  
  
Kendal heard the voices around her. Her head was pounding and she found it hard to focus on anything. The pain was nauseating. She then felt someone put a cold rag to her forehead. She wanted to thank them but she slipped back into darkness before she had the chance.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
" She has gold in her hair. How did she do that? "  
  
" I don't know, the rest of her hair's dark. Look at her clothes also! What strange material. And she's wearing pants! I never thought I'd see a girl dressed in pants. "  
  
" She from a different land. Of course she dresses strangely. "  
  
" But a girl? Wearing pants? "  
  
" Oh lay off it! "  
  
" Why don't you try and make me? "  
  
" I would if I didn't think Frodo would come bursting through the door ready to tear my head off for acting up. "  
  
" Yeah, he doesn't want anyone disturbing her. I'm sure us scuffling wouldn't help things. "  
  
" How old do you think she is? "  
  
" She can't be much younger than you. "  
  
" How do you figure that? "  
  
" She just looks it, for goodness sake! "  
  
" Okay, okay, don't pop your eyes out. "  
  
" Look! She moved. "  
  
" She did not! You think I'm going to fall for that again? "  
  
" But she did! Look! "  
  
Kendal was hearing voices again. Why couldn't they just be quiet and let her sleep? The good news was that her head wasn't hurting as much anymore. The bad news was that she was extremely hungry. She needed to go down to the kitchen and get something to eat. Maybe her uncle wouldn't be at home. But first, she was going to tell those voices to keep it down.  
  
" Shut up…" she muttered.  
  
" She spoke! Hurry! Go get Frodo and Sam! "  
  
Frodo and Sam? What did they mean…and then it returned to her. She was in Hobbiton and not in her bed at home. But still, Frodo and Sam?  
  
She opened her eyes halfway. Everything was blurry, of course, because she didn't have her glasses on.  
  
" I can't see…" she muttered again.  
  
  
  
" Oh, I can help you there. " and a pair of small hands gently placed her glasses on her face.  
  
She adjusted them and looked to her helper, and gasped. Right there in front of her! Right there! And helping her with her glasses! A hobbit, and a young one at that, was sitting on a chair beside her bed.  
  
" I'm sorry. Did I frighten you? " He asked in his lovely accent.  
  
" Huh? Oh, no-you didn't. It's just…well…" she giggled a little. " You're so tiny! " She squealed.  
  
The hobbit gave her a curious look, but then decided that what she had said wasn't an insult because the girl was smiling gleefully at him.  
  
" Well, I'm not supposed to be big like you. I'm a hobbit. "  
  
She rolled her eyes happily. " Well, I knew that! It's just; we don't have hobbits where I come from. "  
  
" Really? Where do you come from? "  
  
" It's a place called Tennessee. It's extremely far from here. "  
  
" You don't say? What's it like there? "  
  
" Well, " she began to rise up from her pillow in order to see her surroundings better, but as she did she had the feeling that her brain had left her skull and had fallen to the floor. She quickly lay back down.  
  
" You might want to stay there for a while. Old Sam knocked you senseless. " Said the hobbit, giving her a wet towel to put to her head.  
  
" Sam? " she asked. " Sam who? "  
  
" Sam Gamgee, Frodo's gardener. This is Frodo Baggin's home you are in. Sam thought you were the thief who had been taking advantage of many people's gardens here lately. You aren't, are you?" he asked, giving her a look that clearly said that he hoped she wasn't.  
  
" Oh, no! I just haven't had anything but a few bits of candy to eat for the past few days and I wanted something a little more filling. I didn't have any money so I just went to the first garden I saw. I meant no disrespect. " She began panicking. She didn't want them to have her arrested or whatever it was they did to punish thieves around there. " I was just so hungry-" and she felt immediately ashamed. She didn't have any idea what it was like to be hungry to the point of stealing. Look at what the Fellowship went through-especially Frodo and Sam. She mentally beat the crap out of herself for acting like she had.  
  
" Calm down! It's all right. We know you didn't mean any harm. We could tell you were traveling. "  
  
She felt instant relief. " Thank you! "  
  
She studied him for a minute. " What's your name? "  
  
" Oh! So sorry! That should've been the first thing I told you! I'm Peregrin Took, but everyone usually calls me Pippin. What's your name? "  
  
But she didn't answer. So far she had been knocked out by Samwise Gamgee, had been cared for in Frodo Baggin's house, and Pippin Took had assisted her with her glasses. That was a lot for one mind to comprehend in five minutes, seeing as how she never imagined this place existed until four days ago. She noticed Pippin was looking at her with an odd expression.  
  
" Are you feeling okay? "  
  
" Yeah! Sorry, lost my train of thought there. My name is Kendal Bowens. "  
  
" Nice to meet you. May I ask how old you are? "  
  
" I just turned fourteen. How old are you? "  
  
" Fourteen? You're only fourteen? And Merry said you looked barely younger than me! I'm twenty-four. "  
  
She did some quick math in her head. " Well, you still have nine years until your coming of age whereas I only have four. "  
  
" Four? That's it? Wait-how did you know when hobbits come of age if there aren't any where you come from? "  
  
" The same way I knew what you were without actually having seen one of your kind. I know a lot about hobbits. " She winked. He smiled at her.  
  
Just then, three more hobbits came bustling into the room.  
  
" See! What did I tell you? " Said the younger of the bunch cheerfully.  
  
  
  
The one with the darkest hair smiled warmly at her. She noted at that moment that whenever hobbits smiled the smile traveled to their eyes, which twinkled as if little stars were floating around in them.  
  
" Well, we didn't think you would be lying, Merry. How are you feeling? " He asked her.  
  
" I'm feeling great! " and she attempted to rise up again. Seeing four hobbits all at one time was something she didn't want to miss, and no extremity of nausea was going to get in her way.  
  
" Dreadfully sorry, Miss. I'm afraid it's all my fault that you're lying in that bed in the first place. " Said the third Hobbit sadly.  
  
She smiled at him. " Oh goodness, Sam, don't feel bad! Pippin here has filled me in on everything that happened, and I completely understand. " Sam's expression brightened greatly at this announcement. He acknowledged her by bowing his head slightly in her direction. She returned the gesture.  
  
" I'm sorry about the bed. I'm afraid that you are somewhat taller than any of us hobbits, and the bed is too small. " Said the dark haired hobbit, of whom she came to the conclusion was Frodo.  
  
She noticed for the first time that her feet and half her lower leg were hanging off the edge of her bed.  
  
She laughed slightly. " That's okay. You've done enough already by letting me stay in your home. "  
  
" It was not a problem. " he said. " I supposed from what you just said you assume me to be Frodo Baggins. Your assumption would be right. You may stay here for as long as you need. We found a bag out in the forest that we thought to belong to you. It is lying by the desk over there. " He waved his hand toward the small table. She thought her bag looked abnormally large standing next to it.  
  
" Thank you for bringing it in here for me. " Then she glanced over to her right and her eyes fell on her reflection in the tall mirror that stood near a round window. She immediately became self-conscious. Her hair was a mess. Grass was tangled in it and dirt was warning any shininess that tried to make its way into her hair to stay away. Her scratches were scabbed over with dried blood and she had dirt smeared on her face. She was aware that a slight smell was coming from her also, and that was the worst of it all.  
  
The hobbits became aware what she of was looking at. Frodo whispered something to Sam and the hobbit nodded and left the room.  
  
Frodo cleared his throat. " A hot bath is being prepared for you Miss. While you wait for it, would you mind if I sit with you? I am very curious as to how you got to Hobbiton. "  
  
" Of course! It's your house anyway, do what you want! " She said gleefully.  
  
He pulled up a chair and sat on the opposite side of her bed from Pippin.  
  
" Merry, would you bring us some tea and bread please? After our guest takes her bath we will have lunch. "  
  
" Back in a moment. " And the last Hobbit left the room.  
  
" Another friend of mine, Meriadoc Brandybuck. " said Frodo. " Now, I would like to know your name, for starters. "  
  
" Kendal Bowens. I'm from a place called Tennessee. " She said, guessing his next question.  
  
" Where is that? "  
  
" Extremely far away from the Shire. "  
  
" How did you travel so far, and by yourself? "  
  
" Well, to be honest with you, I don't exactly know how I ended up here. I just sort of opened my eyes and here I was. "  
  
The hobbits exchanged looks as Merry came in with a tray stacked with many loaves of bread, butter, and four cups. In his other hand he held the teakettle. He handed everyone a cup and saucer and poured everyone's tea, and then, with Kendal's permission, sat the tray with the bread on it upon her lap.  
  
" Now you can all get your own bread. " he said, sitting in a chair next to Pippin, and sipping his tea.  
  
" You say you don't know how you got here? " Frodo asked.  
  
" Well, yeah. I haven't got any clue how that happened. "  
  
" That's odd. " Said Merry. " How did you know you were in the Shire then? "  
  
" Well, I figured I was in a place called Hobbiton, and I knew that it was in the Shire. You see, where I come from, there are no hobbits. In fact, people don't even know that the Shire exists, so you can imagine my surprise when I found myself here and in the care of four hobbits. "  
  
" What? No hobbits? You don't even know the Shire exists? I'm confused. " Said Merry.  
  
" You see, we have these books that concern hobbits and the Shire, but we always categorized such books as being fiction. Middle Earth does not exist where I come from. "  
  
The hobbits looked astonished. " Doesn't exist? " they said in surprise as they placed their cups back onto their saucers with small clinks.  
  
" Well…no. But there's no telling how far I am from home. I mean, I could be from a completely different time! Or better yet, from a totally different universe. "  
  
The hobbits looked at her as though they felt that she should be instituted into the nearest insane asylum immediately. She looked back at their staring faces.  
  
" What? " she asked. " I'm sure this all sounds very weird to you. Surely there is someone you can talk to that can give you answers to your questions? " She said, referring to Gandalf.  
  
  
  
" Oh. " Frodo said. " Well, there's only one person I know of that could answer any questions about this matter, and that's Gandalf. I will be sure to ask him about all this when he decides to pay me a visit. "  
  
" Whenever that will be." Said Pippin.  
  
" Sir, the bath is ready. " Said Sam, poking his head in the room.  
  
" Wonderful! Will you show Miss Bowens where it is? " Asked Frodo. " Pippin and Merry and I will arrange lunch. "  
  
" Yes Sir. " said Sam. Merry took the tray from Kendal's lap and she swung her legs off the bed and stood up. Each hobbit looked up at her. She felt unusually tall.  
  
Frodo, with effort, lifted her duffel bag, and handed it to her. She thanked him and went out the door, which she had to duck under to get through, with Sam.  
  
  
  
Though the doors were short, the ceilings were not and Kendal could easily stand up and walk without having to worry about hitting her head. Sam led her down the hallway and then through one of the many doors where a steaming tub was waiting for her.  
  
" Towels are lying near the door Miss. " the hobbit said.  
  
" Thank you, and seriously, I know you didn't mean to knock me in the head. " she said, smiling.  
  
" I do apologize about that. I will alert you when lunch is ready, if you need anything, just holler at me. " Then he left and shut the door.  
  
Kendal dropped her bag on the floor and looked around. She really was in a hobbit hole. She still couldn't believe it. Maybe it was all a dream, and if it was, she didn't want to wake up.  
  
" I'm not in my world anymore. " she whispered to herself. Then a small smile played on her lips, and she locked the door.  
  
  
  
*** 


End file.
